Hermione's Hidden Love
by Vera-Sabe
Summary: Hermione's crush for Legolas has turned into love. She cannot bear to tell him yet because she fears that he would not feel the same way. However, what she does not know is that he loves her like the way she loves him. Companion piece to A Hidden Crush.


**_Title:_ **Hermione's Hidden Love

**_Author:_ **Vera-Sabe

**_Pairing:_ **Legolas/Hermione

**_Genre:_ **Romance/Fantasy

**_Rating:_ **PG-13

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**_Disclaimer:_ **I do not own anything _except_ for this wonderful plot. The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to J. K. Rowling and J. R. R. Tolkien. I am not making any money for the publishing or writing of this story. No copyright infringement is intended.

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**_Warning & A/N:_** This is my second Legolas/Hermione one-shot and all I have to say is that I did my best to keep them in character.

Keep in mind that flames will be laughed at and will only serve to increase my amusement. Although, I do accept constructive criticism because I know it will help me out in the long run.

**A couple of things, too:**

1. This story is a crossover and completely AU. The _Half-blood Prince_ and the _Deathly Hallows_ never happened. Though, it does take place during the Golden Trio's last year at Hogwarts and during _The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King_.

2. Also, this is a Hermione/Legolas one-shot and the second part in a three-part Hermione/Legolas trilogy. Thus, the characters and canon situations in the following story also belong solely to J. R. R. Tolkien. The dialogue from _The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King_ movie and book is not my own. It solely belongs to J. R. R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema, and the screenwriters and producers of the book and movie.

3. Lastly, because this is AU, Dumbledore is still alive and Hermione is, of course, eighteen years old.

* * *

**_Summary:_ **Hermione's crush for Legolas has turned into love. She cannot bear to tell him yet because she fears he would not feel the same way. However, what she does not know is that he loves her like the way she loves him. Companion piece to: **A Hidden Crush**_._

* * *

**Hermione's Hidden Love**

Merry, Pippin, Hermione and the Ents had gone to war against Saruman and his band of Orcs and Uruk-Hai. They had been sitting on top of Treebeard's branches and had helped with knocking some of the mindless Orcs to the ground until the Ents had released the river. The river had swept over everything in Isengard; they had defeated the cunning and ruthless wizard Saruman, Sauron's right-hand man.

Now Hermione, Merry and Pippin were sitting on top of a broken wall, enjoying the small comforts and rewards that came with winning a simple, small, but very significant victory. Treebeard had taken over management of Isengard, which pleased the two hobbits and young woman to no end. The three of them knew Treebeard was the right Ent for the job and they had no complaints.

However, Hermione could not stop the worry and slight fear that was growing within her. Yes, Saruman had been defeated, but she could not help but wonder if he still had _some _power left and would want to seek his revenge. Then she thought of Gandalf and her thoughts on Saruman decapitated. If anyone could calm her growing anxiety about Saruman, it would be Gandalf. He reminded her so much of Headmaster Dumbledore—it was just uncanny, really.

Hermione noticed how Gandalf had the same twinkle in his eyes whenever he was amused about something or other and when he knew some deep secret nobody else knew like Dumbledore had. He was very wise, intelligent, and he gave just the right advice exactly at the same time a person needed it, even if the person had asked him for it or not. She could not get over how similar they both were and so she knew everything would be all right, as long as she heard it from him.

Merry and Pippin were sitting and chatting merrily while eating some of the food they had found only moments ago. Hermione on the other hand was lying down with her hands behind her head, just thinking about nothing in particular, which amazed her that she was able to do so given the current circumstance the rest of the peoples of Middle-earth were faced with.

Actually, this was not entirely true. Hermione _was_ thinking about something, or rather _someone_. She was thinking about a certain kind, quick witted, intelligent, and handsome blond haired, brown-blue eyed warrior, fighter and elf. He had slowly captured her heart and he went by the name of Legolas Greenleaf.

After a while, Hermione sat up and looked at Merry and Pippin incredulously, saying, "How are you guys still able to eat? I'm so full that if you gave me another slice of salted pork, I would just throw it in the water."

After Merry swallowed a piece of pork, he said, "Ah, my dear Hermione. It is a rare gift we hobbits have."

Pippin nodded his head, "We hobbits love food. It is part of our way of life to eat as much food as possible."

"Yeah, I understand," she nodded her head as well, shaking it a few seconds later. "You guys are exactly like Harry and Ron. Their eating habits amaze me, as does yours."

Merry and Pippin grinned at one another with amusement on their faces. Then they looked at Hermione mischievously.

"We know," said Merry, smirking. "They were eating like mad when all of us were in Rivendell, especially Ron. Now he was something wasn't he, Pip?"

Pippin nodded in agreement, "Oh, yes. It was as if I was watching myself."

Then he and Merry started laughing while Hermione just shook her head in amusement, a smile evident on her face. While looking towards the forest, however, she could faintly make out some movement. She slowly stood up to get a better view of what was making it. She squinted and could finally make out several men on horses, making their way towards them.

She heard Pippin saying, "I feel like I'm back at the Green Dragon after a hard day's work."

"Only, you've never done a hard day's work," Merry replied, pointing out that obvious fact to him. They started laughing again while Hermione just smirked at them.

"If you two jokers would have stopped your snickering for just a bit, you would have noticed by now that we have company coming our way," she said in a bossy, but still amusing voice while crossing her arms over her chest and rolling her eyes at their silliness.

Merry and Pippin immediately stopped laughing. They saw, like Hermione did, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, and a few other men making their way out of the forest. They made their way through the water, which had flooded earlier and now it covered the whole of Isengard.

"Welcome, my lords, to Isengard," said Merry. He smiled widely, standing up and stretching his arms out to welcome them into the city while Pippin was laughing and grinning from ear to ear.

"You: young rascals! A merry hunt you've led us on. And now, we find you feasting and… smoking!" Gimli spluttered in a pretend angry voice.

He slightly huffed where he was seated from behind Legolas on Legolas' horse, Arod.

Then he turned his attention to Hermione, adding, "And don't think we have forgotten about you, lassie." He also shook his finger at her as he stated this to her.

Hermione shook her head, grinning and replying, "I wasn't thinking that at all; the thought didn't even cross my mind. It is wonderful to see you again, Master Gimli."

"Aye, the same goes to you, lass," said Gimli with a hint of a smile in his voice, nodding his head all the while.

Hermione nodded her head as well, giving him a smile in return. Then she felt one of the men... well, more like a certain elf... were watching her. She looked to see it was none other than Legolas.

He smirked slightly at her, nodding his head towards her as if to say, "It's good to see you again as well, my lady." Yet he did not voice the greeting.

Hermione returned his smile with one of her own, nodding her head in greeting also. They broke eye contact when Pippin spoke up.

He stated with his mouth half full of food, "We are sitting on a field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts. The salted pork is _particularly_ good."

Gimli smiled wistfully at that, wanting nothing more than to eat a wonderful cooked meal again. He asked, "Salted pork?"

Merry grinned widely. He blew a giant smoke ring from the pipe he was smoking from while everyone continued to watch in amusement, especially Legolas and Hermione, but with the exception of Aragorn and Gandalf.

Aragorn chuckled heartily while Gandalf merely shook his head, but had a slight twinkle in his eyes. He sighed, muttering under his breath, "Hobbits."

Merry said, smiling, "We're under orders from Treebeard who has taken over management of Isengard."

* * *

Hermione could now be found standing next to Aragorn in the Golden Hall in the kingdom and/or country of Rohan. She wore a dress now instead of her usual attire, which consisted of a tunic, tights, and a cloak—an Elvish cloak.

(She received this cloak from Elrond back in Rivendell before she was to depart with the rest of the Fellowship on the quest to destroy the Ring and Sauron).

The kind woman with long blond hair, whose name was Éowyn, gave Hermione the dress. Hermione was really glad there was another lady besides her there, even though it surprised her they got along quite quickly. She reminded Hermione of Ginny Weasley because they were both quiet and reserved people. She knew Ginny had a temper and was quite stubborn; however, she had yet to discover those characteristics about Éowyn. Only time would tell.

"Tonight we remember those who gave their blood to defend this country. Hail the victorious dead!" Théoden exclaimed.

"Hail!" Everyone along with Aragorn and Hermione replied.

They all raised their cups of ale in the air. Then they brought it to their mouths to drink the alcoholic beverage.

Since it was Hermione's first time drinking an alcoholic beverage, the taste of it did not appeal to her at all. However, it was not bad after she had more than one sip. She realized she had to get used to it after a while.

Aragorn stared in amusement, saying, "I can see it is your first time drinking ale, Lady Hermione."

"Yes, it is. Although, it's not so bad once one gets used to the taste of it," Hermione replied.

"Yes, that is true. But just remember the consequences of your choices and actions, Lady Hermione," Aragorn counseled and warned her.

And with that being said, he placed a hand on her shoulder as he walked passed her to go in search of Gandalf.

Suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, Merry and Pippin came running up to Hermione before she could fully contemplate what Aragorn had just told her. They looked very excited, so she was curious to know what the reason for their enthusiastic behavior was.

"Hermione, would you like to sing and dance with Merry and me?" Pippin asked in a hopeful voice.

Hermione narrowed her eyes slightly, tilting her head to one side. "Do I have to do it in front of these people here?"

"Well, of course you do," said Merry, rolling his eyes. "That's the whole point when you're entertaining people."

Hermione hated talking in front large crowds of people, so singing and dancing were out of the question. She shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "Nope; sorry boys, but I'm not going to do it."

"Aw, come on, Hermione. Just this once… please?" Pippin asked while giving her the puppy-dog-eyes look.

"No," she replied quite stubbornly.

"All right… but if you don't, we're going to publicly introduce you to everyone in here. Then we'll tell them about all of your embarrassing moments," Merry piped up. He smirked and looked smugly at her.

"You wouldn't dare!" Hermione said in a low and an almost threatening voice.

"Would too," Pippin exclaimed. He put his hands near his mouth, but before he could say anything, she stopped him.

"All right; all right," Hermione sighed reluctantly. "You win. I'll sing and dance with you guys. But what are we going to sing and what am I supposed to do?"

"Well, this is what we're going to do…." said Merry. Then he proceeded to tell Pippin and Hermione the plan.

* * *

Merry, Pippin, and Hermione could now be found singing and dancing on a table. They twirled and spun around as they were singing. Hermione's nervousness had gone down a bit, although it was still there. Nevertheless, she refused to let it spoil the fun she was having. She wanted to entertain these people, so they could forget and would not have to worry for a few minutes about pain or death. After every song, everyone clapped and continued to cheer them on, wanting more songs and dancing. And after every song, they drank yet another cup of ale.

Finally, Merry, Pippin, and Hermione sang a very popular Hobbit song:

_Oh you can search far and wide,_

_You can drink the whole town dry,_

_But you'll never find a beer so brown,_

_As the one we drink in our hometown._

_You can keep your fancy ales,_

_You can drink them by the flagon,_

_But the only brew for the brave and true,_

_Comes from the Green Dragon!_

After they had sung the last verse, they banged their cups together and drank some more ale. Hermione was grinning from ear to ear, but she was beginning to feel a little bit tipsy. Merry and Pippin jumped down from the table. Hermione followed suit.

However, she lost her footing, closed her eyes, and braced herself for the impact with the ground. It never came, though, because someone had caught her just before that could occur. Hermione looked up to see who her rescuer was. When she did, she locked eyes and stared into the face of none other than her hidden crush, Legolas.

"Are you all right, Lady Hermione?" Legolas asked her still holding her in his arms and not making a move to release her from his embrace.

"Yes, thank you," Hermione smiled warmly, feeling quite light-headed. She added, "Thank you for catching me."

"You're welcome. It was my pleasure," he smiled.

But then his smile turned into a slight smirk and he added, "Although you should be more careful, my lady, for I will not always be here to catch you."

Hermione was stunned by that remark. She did not know what to say, but she felt her cheeks turn pink by the statement. She felt her heart speeding up a notch faster as well.

_Calm down, girl. Breathe: just: breathe. _Her headache increased.

"Oh, I will," she replied, looking at anywhere but him.

She tried to ignore the pounding of her heart, the redness of her cheeks she knew was there by now, and also the sudden constant pounding of her head.

Hermione's headache continued to become worse and she winced. She put a hand to her head to try to stop the pain, even though she knew she could not.

_Damn those hobbits and their singing. I should have gone with being embarrassed. And damn me for drinking too much ale. I should have listened to Aragorn when I had the chance. And why the hell is Legolas looking at me like that for? _

Though with each thought, her headache increased.

Legolas's smirk turned to a look of concern when he saw her clutching her head. He asked, "What is wrong, Lady Hermione?"

Hermione was being overcome with a wave of dizziness and sleepiness. She felt she was going to fall into unconsciousness at any moment. She could barely register what Legolas had said. Nevertheless, she did and tried to answer him.

"I'm… I'm… I think I'm—"

Before she could finish her sentence, though, she fell unconscious in his arms right there in the Golden Hall. Legolas's concern for Hermione grew, but he quickly remembered what had caused her to slip into darkness. He remembered she had drunk ale after every song she sang with Merry and Pippin.

He sighed and whispered in her ear so only she could hear, even though she was unconscious at the moment, "You also need to reduce the amount of ale you consume, my lady."

Legolas sighed yet again, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her to the bedchamber she shared with Lady Eowyn. He entered the chamber and carefully put her on her bed. He covered her with a blanket and looked at her, sleeping quite peacefully. He felt his heart start to beat faster as he continued to gaze at the beautiful maiden who had unknowingly captured his heart.

He had thought she had looked more beautiful than any other maiden when she had been dancing and singing with Merry and Pippin. And when he had seen that she had drunk ale more than any other maiden he knew, he had just smirked. He had been amused by her as well, not just entranced by her.

As Legolas continued to stare at Hermione sleeping soundly, he slowly brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He leaned down and kissed her forehead ever so softly, letting his lips linger there for more than was needed. Then he pulled back up and continued to gaze at her sleeping form while caressing her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Sleep well, my love," Legolas whispered.

He quickly kissed her cheek then. He left the room without another word while Hermione continued to sleep peacefully without ever having witnessed what Legolas had just done.

* * *

A few days quickly passed.

Hermione and Legolas had not said a word to each other about what happened back at the Golden Hall. However, that did not mean they were avoiding each other or whatnot. On the contrary, they continued to engage in lively conversation, laughing with one another whenever they could.

Although the both of them desperately wanted to talk to one another about it, they could not find the courage to do so. They were both too shy and were scared of what the other one might say. Nevertheless, despite these feelings, they continued to get along quite splendidly and were possibly closer than they were before.

Now was the night before King Théoden and his army were to depart for Minas Tirith, to aid Lord Denethor against Sauron's army of Orcs, Uruk-Hai, Nazgul, and other creatures whom Sauron had assembled to fight for and with him. The moon shone brightly above in the dark and starry sky, as Aragorn and Lord Elrond were coming out of Théoden's tent.

Lord Elrond departed while Aragorn went in his tent to get dressed. Moments later Aragorn was fully clothed with dagger, cloak, sword, and all. He left his tent and went to Brego, preparing to leave. As he tied his necessities on the back of Brego, Éowyn came up to him, looking quite distressed and upset.

"Why are you doing this?" Éowyn asked. Her voice etched with despair and sorrow. "The war lies to the east; you cannot leave on the eve of battle. You cannot abandon the Men."

"Éowyn," Aragorn began, sighing.

He knew she was brave and courageous; and that she was unlike any other woman he had ever met. But he knew she was also naïve and he could never return the love she had for him.

Aragorn loved and was bound to Arwen. He could never forsake her, not after all they had been through together. Arwen was the only woman Aragorn truly loved, so he hoped Éowyn would be able to understand that. Thus, he so wished for her to find the love she so truly desired and was meant for her.

Éowyn added quickly before he could continue, "We need you here." She tried to also make him understand _she_ also needed him.

"Why have you come?" Aragorn asked her bluntly with a bit of sadness etched in his voice.

He sounded like he pitied her, which deep down he kind of was.

Her eyes widened a little at what he said. _Could he not see it? _She thought sadly.

She whispered while her voice cracked slightly, "Do you not know?"

"It is but a shadow and a thought that you love," he answered her honestly. "I cannot give you what you seek."

After Aragorn said that, Éowyn stood there in shock. Realization dawned on her and she backed away from him. She blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall down, as he looked at her for one last time. Then he turned away from her and departed with Brego, making his way to the Dimholt road.

As Aragorn was making his way toward the mountains, he passed by Gimli. Gimli watched Aragorn walk by him, but he was not going to just sit there without saying something to him.

"Just where do you think you're off to?" Gimli asked him, curiosity getting the best of him.

"Not this time," Aragorn shook his head. "This time you must stay, Gimli."

Before Gimli had a chance to respond, Legolas walked up to them with his horse. Grinning and smirking, he asked, "Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of Dwarves?"

"You might as well accept it," Gimli said. He stood up, continuing, "We're going with you, laddie."

Aragorn sighed reluctantly. He knew he could not win with them, so he just had to accept the fact they were going to come with him.

* * *

Hermione hurried through the path along the camp, trying to get to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli before they left on their journey. She had silently witnessed and heard Aragorn and Éowyn's conversation. She was sad for Éowyn, but happy for Aragorn. He had done the right thing, even though he had to hurt Éowyn in the process.

She had tried to comfort the heartbroken shield maiden, but to no avail. And since she could not comfort her, Hermione had thought she might as well try to say her quick farewell to The Three Hunters before they were to depart on their exciting, but dangerous mission.

Hermione looked ahead, seeing Aragon, Legolas, and Gimli were still talking to each other. She breathed a sigh of relief, smiling slightly.

"Thank goodness. They haven't left yet," she muttered under her breath.

She quickened her pace. When she was four feet away, she called out to them, "Aragorn; Legolas; Gimli."

They all turned at the sound of their names being called. Aragorn was quite surprised to see it was Hermione who called them. Though, he was not completely stunned because for some reason he had expected her to come.

Gimli beat Aragorn with a response, saying, "What are you doing up and walking around at this hour of the night, lass? You should be sleeping in your tent, where it's safe and warm."

She rolled her eyes at Gimli, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I can take care of myself very well, Master Gimli. I'm not a little girl you know, honestly." She paused then added, "And if you would really like to know, I'm not tired and it's not that late anyway."

Gimli huffed, sputtering, "Not a little girl…. Can take care of yourself…. Not tired…. Now see here, lassie—"

Legolas was amused by this whole ordeal. He just smirked, looking at them while crossing his arms over his chest.

Aragorn, who was also smirking, put a hand on Gimli's shoulder. He said, "She's right, Gimli. She is a mature young lady who can take care of herself."

Then he turned his attention to Hermione, asking, "What can we do for you, Lady Hermione?"

Hermione smiled, shaking her head. She answered, "Nothing." She became serious, "I just wanted to tell you to be careful as you're taking the Dimholt road and making your way towards the Paths of the Dead."

(She motioned with her head at the mountains in front of her when she said that).

Before any of them could answer, she continued, "The Dimholt road that leads you to the Paths of the Dead, which in turn leads you to Minas Morgul and where the Dead dwell, is very dangerous. No one has ever ventured in the Haunted Mountain, which is also known as the White Mountains, for over two thousand years."

She paused. "The Dead or the Men of the Mountain are cruel and traitorous men who betrayed Isildur when he needed their help. Unfortunately, the bastard cursed them. Because of that, they now dwell in Minas Morgul; they are neither dead, nor alive just restless spirits. However, what the damn fool didn't realize was that by keeping the Ring instead of destroying it, the Ring would betray him to his death and would still keep Sauron's evil spirit alive."

Hermione shook her head and finished, saying, "So, please just be careful when you're going on the Paths of the Dead to the Haunted Mountain."

She smirked, adding, "I would like to come with you, but I think Gimli would not like it very much."

Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas were left speechless with their mouths hanging open after Hermione finished her little speech so to speak. They did not even crack a smile or a smirk when she made the comment of wanting to go, but that Gimli would not like it if she did.

Aragorn got out of his shock, closing his mouth abruptly. He asked, "How could you know of such things, my lady? You are not of this world."

Legolas and Gimli had recently closed their mouths, but were still in shock so they did not say anything.

"Well, when Harry, Ron, and I were all back in Rivendell, waiting to depart on the quest, I decided to go to the library to read—since we also had quite some time before we were actually scheduled to leave," Hermione replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"I knew it would have been very disrespectful and cruel of me not to know or learn some history of the peoples of Middle-earth and of Middle-earth itself; in other words of your world. I mean, because if you were to come to my world, I would expect you to learn the history of my world and the people in it myself as well."

Legolas and Gimli were now smirking at her. Aragorn nodded his head, smiling.

He said, "Thank you for learning about our world and history, Lady Hermione. I honor and admire you greatly for that kind act." He put her hand on her shoulder, adding, "And do not worry; we will be all right and we _will _be careful."

"Aye; indeed we will, lass," Gimli agreed finally speaking up. "Do not forget; I have the eyes of a hawk, the ears of a fox, and my axe is as sharp as any sword in Middle-earth."

Hermione smirked, sharing an amused look with Aragorn and Legolas. She replied, "I won't forget, Master Gimli."

Legolas grinned suddenly. He unfolded his arms. He quickly reached out his hand, grabbed Hermione's hand in his own, and pulled her closer to him before she could register what was happening while exacting a yelp from her at the same time.

Aragorn and Gimli smirked, looking at them then at each other. Aragorn motioned with his head for Gimli to start walking towards the Dimholt road, which he compiled rather easily instead of his usual bout of grunts and mutterings of disagreement. Aragorn took a hold of his reins that were around Brego's neck. Then he and Gimli started walking slowly towards the Haunted Mountain.

Legolas was still grinning down at Hermione, as she got over the surprise of being pulled into his arms. She soon relaxed in his embrace.

She smirked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Now why did you do that?"

"I wanted you to be in my arms once more," he smirked back at her, earning him a blush from her.

"Oh," was all Hermione could say.

_Damn; why does he always have to be so charming, wonderful, sweet, and romantic? It makes my heart pump faster every time, _she sighed inwardly. _Just relax, girl. Breathe: just: breathe. _

She became serious, as she thought about what had happened a few days ago. She needed to apologize to him for her behavior because she realized it was rude and foolish of her not to have talked about it right away.

Hermione found her courage, saying, "I apologize for my behavior a few days ago." She locked eyes with him then.

"You know, when we were in the Golden Hall, and I had too much ale, and you caught me and everything like that? I just want to say I'm sorry... for acting the way I did," she said sincerely and remorsefully.

Legolas smiled, shaking his head, "Tis all right, my lady. You do not have to apologize. Believe me when I say you are not the first maiden to do have done that, and you surely will not be the last."

"Thank you," Hermione returned his smile. "Well, Legolas, just be careful when you're—"

Before Hermione could finish her sentence, however, Legolas grinned and silenced her by quickly placing his lips on hers. She was stunned and stiffened at first, but she soon relaxed. The kiss was not forceful or demanding; it was slow and sweet.

To him she tasted like cherries and strawberries mixed together to give a pure sweet flavor. He knew he had never tasted and will never taste anything as sweet as her lips. She slowly removed her lips from his, but quickly placed them back on his to return the kiss he gave her.

To her his lips tasted like flowers from a garden mixed in with the scents of pine and oak to give off a kind of sweet forest smell that could ensnare a maiden as soon as she smelled of its sweet flavor. And so, she was ensnared and the more she tasted of his lips the more shivers ran down her spine.

Legolas slowly broke off the kiss. He locked eyes with Hermione. They did not say anything for a few moments.

She pulled away from him a little, smiled, and said, "You better go. Aragorn and Gimli are waiting. Be careful; the Haunted Mountain—"

Legolas closed the distance that was separating them, smirked, and cut her off by placing two fingers on her lips, "Do not worry, Hermione. I will be all right." Then he whispered in her ear, "Your mind and intelligence never ceases to amaze me, my lady."

He quickly kissed her again. This second kiss was quick, but sweet and nice. He slowly pulled away, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, smirked, and said, "I will see you soon, my love."

Hermione could only stare at him, being struck speechless.

With that being said, Legolas looked at her one last time. Then he took his horse and walked away from her, going to catch up to Aragorn and Gimli.

Even after she could not see Legolas anymore, Hermione was still standing there dumbfounded. All she could think about was what just happened between the two of them and what he had called her in the end.

_My love: my love? He said my love. No freaking way! He loves me. He loves me? But wait. Does this mean that _I _love him? And does this mean that he _really does _love me? _She thought incredulously.

She sighed, muttering to herself, "I can't believe it. I have fallen in love and not just with any guy, but with a prince no less. I love an Elven prince and he _must_ love me, too, otherwise he wouldn't have said my love in the end."

Hermione stopped talking, and started thinking for a moment.

_But what if he doesn't really love me? Is it love or is it just lust? Damn! I hate analyzing situations like these_.

Suddenly, she thought of her two best friends. _Oh, great. I wonder what Harry and Ron will have to say about this one_, she sighed, shaking her head.

Still sighing, Hermione sat on the ground. She leaned against the tree, brought her knees up to her chest, and let her arms and head fall on them.

_Great; I'm in love with a prince. Why is my life always so complicated? _She thought, shaking her head all the while.

Hermione watched the stars and the moon, which continued to shine brightly in the night sky. She knew she would see Harry and Ron again. She knew she would see Legolas again also. She knew it, but then would she have the courage to tell him the truth, or would she keep it to herself? And would she be able to tell Harry and Ron about it? Only time would tell.

* * *

**_A/N:_** I hope everyone liked this second Hermione/Legolas one-shot. The scene when Hermione explains to them about the Paths of the Dead, I got from the Council of Elrond website: www (dot) councilofelrond (dot) com.

I would like to thank my good friend **Kalia Clyde** for helping me with all three companion pieces and giving me the Council of Elrond website to get information for this chapter. Thanks a lot, girl; you rock.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed **A Hidden Crush** and who will review for this little story here. But more importantly, thank you for the readers who don't review; you guys rock as well. I love you all; until next time.


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